Charges refiled in aggravated robbery case

Douglas County prosecutors have re-filed aggravated robbery charges against a Kansas City, Mo., man in connection with a January incident in the 1500 block of Haskell Avenue.

Prosecutors on Thursday charged 30-year-old Matthew Thomas Garren with one count of aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery.

According to jail records, a sheriff’s officer brought Garren back to Douglas County Wednesday, and he appeared in court Thursday afternoon. A judge set his bond at $25,000.

He’s accused of using a handgun to take cash from a 22-year-old Lawrence man on the night of Jan. 19, according to the police report and court records.

Prosecutors accuse Garren in the conspiracy count of agreeing with another man, Ronald Broschart, 23, to commit the robbery.

Broschart was convicted of one count of robbery in August after a plea, and he’s currently serving a 44-month sentence at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, according to the Kansas Department Corrections.

Cheryl Wright, a spokeswoman for Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson, said prosecutors originally filed charges against Garren in connection with the case in April, but they were later dismissed. She said the new case involves the same alleged robbery incident.